February 2005 in Science - February 7, 2005

February 7, 2005

• The 2006 budget of NASA shows that the agency plans to cancel or scale back some high-profile projects. The Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter mission has been cancelled. Funding for Project Constellation to build a Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) to replace the space shuttle for travel to the Moon has been reduced, although NASA still expects that the CEV will be operational in 2014. No funding has been requested to service the Hubble Space Telescope, however funds have been requested for a deorbit mission to safely guide Hubble into the ocean once it is no longer capable of doing science. (Space.com)
• Scientists working at Penn State announce the discovery of the smallest extrasolar planet, yet. It is member of a set of planets circling a pulsar. (Spaceref.com)
• The National Academy of Sciences elected Ralph Cicerone as its president. (Science)
• Shoes containing Insolia, Dr. Howard Dananberg's newly released component for high-heeled shoes, exceed sales of 1 million. Research suggests that the technology, whose purpose is to adjust weight distribution through the shoe's redesign to minimize the pain associated with wearing high-heeled shoes, will ameliorate the serious long-term medical repercussions of wearing high-heels. (PR Newswire) (MIT)